Belarus operating Russian Iskander missiles autonomously: Minsk

Belarus said on Wednesday that its armed forces were now in autonomous control of Russian-supplied nuclear-capable Iskander mobile-guided missile systems after completing training in Russia, as well as exercises on home soil.

The missiles are capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 500km (310 miles), Minsk’s defence ministry said.

 The commander of Belarusian rocket and artillery forces told Minsk’s Military TV that they had until now lacked a strike weapon with a range of more than 300km (186 miles).

 The Belarusian Defense Ministry noted that the system crews only include officers, ensigns and professional soldiers.

In late December, 2022, head of the Defense Ministry’s ideological education department Leonid Kasinsky announced that Belarusian servicemen operating Iskander systems and S-400 air defense systems underwent training at joint Russian-Belarusian military training centers.

Previously, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Russian-made S-400 and Iskander systems have already been deployed in the republic. He also noted that Belarus trains, with assistance from Russia, crews for aircraft that can carry special payloads. During a joint press conference with Lukashenko on December 19, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will continue training crews for Belarusian planes which have been refurbished to carry air-based weapons with special payloads.